Big Sandy River Basin Coalition Roundtable

I. Roundtable

Big Sandy River Basin Coalition

A. Structure

The Big Sandy River Basin Coalition, Inc. (BSRBC) is a tri-state, nonprofit, citizen-led organization united to achieve clean water throughout the Big Sandy River Basin and contiguous watersheds by educating citizens, community leaders and businesses within the region of the Basin to help instill a land and water ethic in their communities. The purpose of the Coalition is to partner with citizens, industries, elected officials and agencies of federal, state and local governments to identify common problems and work on solutions related to conservation needs within the Big Sandy River Basin.

A citizen-led Board of Directors consisting of twenty-four members governs the tri-state BSRBC. The twenty-four seats on the board consist of eight identical seats from each of the three states it encompasses (West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia) and include citizen-at-large, conservation district, industry, environmental, watershed, Governor’s appointee, development and local government seats. These seats demonstrate the Coalition’s effort at inclusiveness and diversity among board members as well as equality among the three states involved in the partnership.

This strategic plan was created by the dedicated stakeholders of the Big Sandy River watershed of each state. Recently the Ohio River Valley Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) cited the confluence of the Big Sandy River to the Ohio River as the second most polluted segment of the Ohio River.

B. Mission

The mission of the Big Sandy River Basin Coalition is to be the leading proponent and facilitator with citizens, industries, elected officials, and agencies of federal, state, and local governments to identify common problems and solutions related to water quality in the Big Sandy tri-state watershed.

C. Vision

The vision of the Big Sandy River Basin Coalition is to achieve and sustain drinkable, fishable, and swimmable waters in the Big Sandy tri-state watershed in our lifetime.

D. History

In the spring of 1998, the Big Sandy Watershed Watch group held a Big Sandy Watershed Conference at the Prestonsburg Community College at Prestonsburg, KY. This conference was meant to be for the Kentucky portion of the Big Sandy River Basin.

However, a small delegation from Virginia attended the conference too. At the end of this conference, the Lonesome Pine Soil & Water Conservation District (VA organization) volunteered to host the next Big Sandy River Watershed Conference in Virginia.

On April 9-10, 1999 at the Breaks Interstate Park, 130 people from Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia attended the first tri-state conference. West Virginia followed suit by hosting the conference at Williamson, WV in 2000. The conference attendees voted to pursue a more formal organization to represent their interests and appointed an ad hoc committee to draft bylaws for consideration at the next conference. The group also voted on a name for the new organization: “Big Sandy River Basin Coalition”. The conference came to Kentucky in 2001 at the Jenny Wiley State Park, Prestonsburg, KY. It was here that the bylaws were approved and the first officers were elected. One of the first projects that the newly organized Big Sandy River Basin Coalition (Big Sandy RBC) approved was a clean-up day for the area where the three states meet near Wharncliffe, WV.

The 2002 conference at the Breaks Interstate Park continued organizational efforts with a committee to draft the Articles of Incorporation. The Big Sandy RBC advocated a sewage disposal district for the Kermit, WV/Warfield, KY area with interstate governance. There was also discussion about forming an interstate commission for the Big Sandy River Watershed to help with potential interstate projects such as Kermit/Warfield.

The Big Sandy RBC Board of Directors decided to invite members of the US Congress, state legislators, and local government officials to a special meeting in the fall of 2002 at the Breaks Interstate Park. Thirty-five people attended this meeting with a strong showing by legislative staffers. Those in attendance gave the “thumbs-up” to the Big Sandy RBC to pursue an interstate compact to accomplish water quality goals.

E. Executive Board and Committees

The Coalition shall be served by a Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as “the Board”), which shall be composed of 21 members (seven from Kentucky, seven from Virginia, and seven from West Virginia).

The Board shall be served by an Executive Council (hereinafter referred to as “the Council”.) The Council shall be composed of the current officers on the Board as well as all standing committee chairs of the Coalition. The following officers shall serve on the Board as elected by the Coalition members present at the Coalition Annual Meeting: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and the Past Chair.

The Strategic Planning Committee shall oversee the implementation of the Strategic Planning Process, the Long Range (5 years) Plan, and the Annual Plan. Each year it shall present an Annual Plan to the Board at the regular quarterly meeting before the Coalition annual meeting. The Strategic Planning Committee shall consist initially of five fundraising teams. More teams may be added by the Board if deemed appropriate. The five initial teams include Litter, Agriculture/Forestry, Education, Mining, and Wastewater. The Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee will give a report of the committee’s activities and progress on a quarterly basis to the Board.

The Education/Volunteer Project Committee shall develop and implement an effective public outreach and volunteer program. Included in this charge will be the responsibility to recommend “doable” projects to be implemented by volunteers in the Big Sandy River watershed that are related to the goals of the Coalition. These recommendations will be presented at the Board’s regular quarterly meeting before the Coalition’s annual meeting each year. They will also spearhead efforts relating to public awareness, education, and resource monitoring, to include water testing.

The Grant Writing / Project Funding Committee will work with the Strategic Planning Committee and review the projects in the Annual Plan. They will recommend sources of funding and work to get grant writing assistance and coordination needed to apply for funds to implement projects. A written report of the committee’s progress will be presented to the Board during the regular quarterly meeting.

The Legislative Committee will keep the Coalition informed of events and developments that affect the goals of the Coalition. Included in this responsibility are legislative developments, resource monitoring, data gathering, and information dissemination. A written report of the committee’s progress will be presented to the Board during the regular quarterly meeting.

The Annual Meeting Program Committee will plan for the next meeting of the Coalition after the Coalition sets the date and place at their annual meeting. Included in this responsibility is meeting facilities and all logistics, the meeting agenda, and coordination activities for a successful Annual Coalition meeting. The Chair of this committee will give a report of the committee’s activities and progress on a quarterly basis to the Board.